Casu Marzu

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The name
means “rotten cheese” in Sardinia, but that’s just half the story: casu marzu
contains live maggots. The makers introduce the larvae to a decomposing wheel
of pecorino to break down its fat and render it even softer and runnier.
Revered as a rare delicacy by certain cheese aficionados who frequently try to
smuggle it into the U.S. from Italy, casu marzu is
not beloved by border officials. It’s not the maggots, however—Customs bans
soft cheese of any kind.

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World's Strangest Illegal Souvenirs

Casu Marzu

The name
means “rotten cheese” in Sardinia, but that’s just half the story: casu marzu
contains live maggots. The makers introduce the larvae to a decomposing wheel
of pecorino to break down its fat and render it even softer and runnier.
Revered as a rare delicacy by certain cheese aficionados who frequently try to
smuggle it into the U.S. from Italy, casu marzu is
not beloved by border officials. It’s not the maggots, however—Customs bans
soft cheese of any kind.